Celebrity Whelchair Challenge!
Celebrity Whelchair Challenge!
Author
Discussion

pigme

Original Poster:

196 posts

290 months

Wednesday 18th December 2002
quotequote all
I am trying to decide if this was some kind of sick joke, or the media actually doing something contructive for a change?

http://uk.tv.yahoo.com/021216/128/dgu7l.html
I wonder what "real" wheelchair users thought of it, I know there were some invloved but what were they told "We are doing this because the celebs taking part have expressed anger at how hard it might be for wheelchair users to get a taxi in London"

I think not..

Not because they are celebs and as such would not jump at the chance to get their faces on TV ()to promote anything, even a crappy DIY store, for example!

>>> Edited by pigme on Wednesday 18th December 13:24

Podie

46,649 posts

302 months

Wednesday 18th December 2002
quotequote all
I agree it was a shameless exercise for getting various fisog's on telly... however, I did find it to be a real eyeopener.

Given that the DDA supposedly comes into force, I was amazed at the issues people were having... even things like getting a taxi were more of an issue than I expected.

I'd be VERY interested to gets the views of a wheelchair user..

pigme

Original Poster:

196 posts

290 months

Wednesday 18th December 2002
quotequote all

Podie said: I agree it was a shameless even things like getting a taxi were more of an issue than I expected.


yes me to, however, call me cynical but I can just imagine that if he got straight into the taxi without issue, and the driver was not such an idiot they would not have made a meal out of it.

"Great TV", as the editor no doubt muttered.



>> Edited by pigme on Wednesday 18th December 13:29

>> Edited by pigme on Wednesday 18th December 13:30

Podie

46,649 posts

302 months

Wednesday 18th December 2002
quotequote all
Driver wasn't the sharpest tool in the box was he?

raceboy

13,828 posts

307 months

Wednesday 18th December 2002
quotequote all
And can I get the contract to supply the ramps, 2 aluminium strips for £3500
I was wondering if there are any cutting room floor bits with the celebs getting up out the chairs saying 'stuff this' and walking up a flight of stairs to gasps of 'miricle' from the surrounding public.

miniman

29,788 posts

289 months

Wednesday 18th December 2002
quotequote all

Podie said: Driver wasn't the sharpest tool in the box was he?


No, he wasn't, but he could easily have just not stopped, or driven off without bothering - at least he took the time to help when an "easier" fare was probably just round the next corner.

Also the Heathrow Express scene seemed designed to show it as being difficult to get a wheelchair onto the train - but at least there was some provision for doing it, even if it was a little inconvenient. Seems like you're damned if you do, damned if you don't - if those luggage barries were removed, there would be complaints about the danger and hassle from both abled bodied and disabled travellers alike.

Podie

46,649 posts

302 months

Wednesday 18th December 2002
quotequote all

miniman said:
No, he wasn't, but he could easily have just not stopped, or driven off without bothering - at least he took the time to help when an "easier" fare was probably just round the next corner.



Good point - I hadn't considered that. However, did he stop becuase he knew he was going to be on the telly..?!?!

Tony Hall

23,062 posts

309 months

Wednesday 18th December 2002
quotequote all
Didn't see al of it 'cos I was trying to watch Bond on the other side but of what I did see, it seemed like a reasonable way of highlighting the problems of the disabled. Having to comply with the new Building REgs here at work gives you an idea of their problems. It did however occur to me about public recognition of the stars in public places, ie Sean? in a disco.
Classic line from Gab Roslin to a blind guy at the football match "you have got a great view from here"
Reply "apparently".

lpgrocks

91 posts

290 months

Wednesday 18th December 2002
quotequote all

Tony Hall said: Didn't see al of it 'cos I was trying to watch Bond on the other side but of what I did see, it seemed like a reasonable way of highlighting the problems of the disabled. Having to comply with the new Building REgs here at work gives you an idea of their problems. It did however occur to me about public recognition of the stars in public places, ie Sean? in a disco.
Classic line from Gab Roslin to a blind guy at the football match "you have got a great view from here"
Reply "apparently".


Jeez, that Gobby Roslin is a dozy bitch! It would have been cruel to not only grace her with a trace of brain power, but also to inflict her with the unfortunate disabilty of not being able to user her legs in real life

We live in hope.

incorrigible

13,668 posts

288 months

Wednesday 18th December 2002
quotequote all
The thought of Gobby not being able to run away is quite appealing

GasBlaster

27,575 posts

306 months

Wednesday 18th December 2002
quotequote all
The show was meant to highlight the discrimination disabled people get from society.

It could have followed real disabled people around with TV crews.

Instead it chose to ignore real disabled people and follow able -bodied 'celebrities' instead.

Why aren't there any disabled celebrities?

Because the TV industry obviously discriminates against them.

Sick.


mdh

809 posts

291 months

Wednesday 18th December 2002
quotequote all
"The show was meant to highlight the discrimination disabled people get from society.
It could have followed real disabled people around with TV crews. "

I think they used 'celebrites' for precisely that reason.

They wanted to get people to watch it to draw attention to the subject. The sort of people who probably wouldn't watch it if it featured real disabled people.

What they should have done is had a mixture of 'celebrities' and real disabled people under the same circumstances.i.e with a bloody big camera following them around.

Still a few of us watched it and it made us think about it.






>> Edited by mdh on Wednesday 18th December 17:24

>> Edited by mdh on Thursday 19th December 09:55

GasBlaster

27,575 posts

306 months

Wednesday 18th December 2002
quotequote all
mdh, with respect, you have missed my point.

Which was why aren't there any disabled celebrities?

Implying that the media (celebrity-maker) discriminates with the best of them.

pies

13,116 posts

283 months

Wednesday 18th December 2002
quotequote all

GasBlaster said: mdh, with respect, you have missed my point.

Which was why aren't there any disabled celebrities?

Implying that the media (celebrity-maker) discriminates with the best of them.




agree there should have been some disabled people on the show

agent006

12,058 posts

291 months

Thursday 19th December 2002
quotequote all

GasBlaster said: mdh, with respect, you have missed my point.

Which was why aren't there any disabled celebrities?

Implying that the media (celebrity-maker) discriminates with the best of them.




That depends on whether any disabled people apply to be in the media. It's difficult to discriminate when there's nobody to discriminate against.

hertsbiker

6,443 posts

298 months

Thursday 19th December 2002
quotequote all
I thought it an excellent way of showing the public the difficulties faced by the unfortunate. Maybe it wouldn't have got such a big audience if it was only "joe smith in a wheelchair challenge". So what. They experienced the problems, and made atleast one person think. Me. I bet a lot of other people watched and discovered things.

Respect is due to the wheelchair user.

C

Tony Hall

23,062 posts

309 months

Thursday 19th December 2002
quotequote all
You and I agree then Hertsbiker. Incidentally Gasblaster, Christopher Reeve & the guy who does the wheel chair dance on BBC interludes does spots for the Holiday prog. Must admit I can't recall anyone else.

bugmeister

812 posts

311 months

Thursday 19th December 2002
quotequote all
There is always Tanni Grey-Thompson who is probably the most famous disabled person in this country. Do you remember the b$$llox up that the BBC made last year at the Sports Review of the Year, where she came 3rd but couldn't get onto the main stage as someone had forgotton to build a ramp.

The DDA is causing a lot of people a lot of problems. I have just moved from a University that prides itself on its accessability to disabled students/staff who still have about 5 million quid to spend to reach all the requirements of the DDA.

>> Edited by bugmeister on Thursday 19th December 09:29

mdh

809 posts

291 months

Thursday 19th December 2002
quotequote all
"Which was why aren't there any disabled celebrities? "

Yeah - there aren't many. The only other one I can think of is Mat Fraser. He's on quite a lot of stuff and has had a couple of shows on channel 4 challenging disabled stereotypes.

raceboy

13,828 posts

307 months

Thursday 19th December 2002
quotequote all

mdh said: The only other one I can think of is Mat Fraser. He's on quite a lot of stuff and has had a couple of shows on channel 4 challenging disabled stereotypes.

Is he the Billy Idol type chap?
Theres the girl on The Office as well if this is turning into a how many disabled celebs can you think of type thing